I Have No Name
by Corolin
Summary: My first attempt at a truly epic story, and what better anime to choose than such a good model of shounenness as Bleach! This is an alternate story arc fanfiction where I've taken up the story from a certain manga chapter and written my own story arc from
1. Chapter 1

**I Have No Name**

_(Preface): This is an alternate story arc fan fiction that stays true to the manga all the way up to Chapter 215. For those of you that don't feel like looking up what exactly is happening at that point, Ichigo has gone to the Vaizard hideout in order to gain the hollow suppression technique in order to defeat Grimmjaw, but he refuses to join the Vaizards for it. However, Hiyori lets him know that it isn't really his choice whether he wants to or not, and transforms into a hollow, ready to commit horrible violence upon him until she forces his hollow out. From then on, the story changes dramatically, as you shall see…_

**Chapter 1: Emergence**

Ichigo stood in shock as Hiyori's hollow exerted its power and covered the face of the small, obnoxious girl with a grinning mask. Hiyori's reiatsu spiked incredibly, and Ichigo felt bloodlust rush out as the slavering mind of a hollow reached out to him hungrily.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, don't think you'll get out of showing us your hollow," Hiyori sneered at him. "I'll beat it out of you if I have to, and then if you're strong enough we'll make you one of us!" She leaped at him viciously, her zanpakutoh snapping around in a killing blow.

Ichigo caught her blade heavily on his, and pushed it aside. He jumped backwards, but Hiyori was already behind him and slashing him across the back. Ichigo winced and whirled around with his giant blade, and Hiyori caught it with hers. As the two blades struggled, she grinned through her mask and kicked Ichigo square in the gut, sending him flying backwards. With a disgusted look, she temporarily re-sheathed her zanpakutoh and waited for Ichigo to recover his feet.

Ichigo got up painfully, and she snapped at him angrily, "I'm starting to get impatient here, and I don't think you'll like that. It's hard to push you like this and not kill you, so if you don't bring your Hollow out soon I might accidentally decapitate you!

Ichigo took a deep breath and held his zanpakutoh out towards Hiyori, focusing inward. "You're just a brat who wants to have her way all the time. I have people that I need to protect, and I'll be damned if I have to take your crap before I can do that!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Hiyori screamed at him in a rage.

"I don't have time to play your little game and be part of your group; everyone is counting on me and I will not allow you to stop me! You say I don't have a choice in the matter? Well, I'm going to make it my choice! BAN-KAI!" Ichigo's reiatsu detonated as he roared out the command to Zangetsu, filling the room. Some of the other Vaizards began to move forward, but Hiyori held a hand out threateningly and they backed up again.

Ichigo, once again wrapped in the frayed black cloak of old man Zangetsu, wielded a jet-black katana of normal size. His eyes burned with determination, and his hand gripped the handle of Tensa Zangetsu tightly.

_I __cannot__ lose! I won't let this brat beat me, and I won't lose to the Hollow inside of me either!_ he thought as he flickered from Hiyori's sight. Hiyori took a step back in astonishment, and Ichigo dropped from above her, created a hexagonal grid of slashes. Hiyori's hollow aura flared again, and she met Ichigo's attack head on, wildly parrying and counterattacking.

_**(Interesting how you talk about the hollow inside of you Ichigo…what makes you think that you could ever defeat me?)**_

Momentarily Ichigo faltered as a cackling voice rang through his mind, and Hiyori immediately took the opening, slashing Ichigo across his shoulder before he yanked backwards.

_Not now damn it! I can't afford to have you interfering right now!_ Ichigo thought viciously as he held a hand over the bleeding wound. "You aren't going to screw me up this time bastard! I won't let you!" he screamed aloud, as his reiatsu all but imploded, trying to fight the hollow within.

_**(We shall see, but you much do you think you can handle at once?)**_

A sheet of black and white engulfed his mind, scraping across his brain in a symphony of raw pain. Ichigo screamed again as the hollow attempted to invade his consciousness. He dropped to his knees and his zanpakutoh clattered to the floor. Hiyori stood confused, trying to figure out whether she should attack him or let the paroxysm run its course. His reiatsu aura dwindled to nothing as he fought the massive internal struggle. He knew that if he weakened for a second now that the Hollow would take over his body again.

Hiyori came suddenly to a decision. She grinned nastily and leaped at Ichigo, ready to kill him in his moment of weakness. However, as she reached him and swung her zanpakutoh, the clash of steel on steel echoed through the Vaizard's hideout. Ichigo, was still on his knees, but he held Zangetsu vertically with its point digging into the ground as his hand trembled with pain. Though his movements were weak, a fire of determination burned in his eyes so powerful that Hiyori shuddered and turned her glance away from him.

"I…will not lose!" he bit out slowly, torn between the external and internal fight that threatened to overwhelm him. "There are too many people depending on me for my strength to give out now!" He stood up again and his reiatsu flared around him in a blue nimbus, buffeting all in the room as he focused to his utmost power.

Hiyori merely sneered and struck at him repeatedly with an animal viciousness, keeping Ichigo entirely on the defensive now as her relentless attack left no room for countering. Ichigo knew his speed was abysmal compared to what it had been in his fight with Byakuya, but he had no way to get out of this. He would have to continue and hope she presented him with some opening that would allow him to win.

Meanwhile, the Afro-Vaizard suddenly noticed something. He stared intently at Ichigo for a few second while Hiyori savagely beat at him, and then he turned to Hachi.

"I hadn't noticed until now, but something seems strange about his reiatsu aura. It feels restrained…What do you think Hachi?"

Hachi, who hadn't been paying very much attention, intent on containing the explosions of Hiyori' hollow power, turned an eye on Ichigo. That eye widened suddenly and he gasped in horror.

"You're right! There's a very powerful yet subtle seal on his reiatsu! Those foolish shinigami friends of his must have placed it on him to seal his hollow side. This must be why he has such trouble bringing out his Hollow. At this rate, Hiyori may kill him before she can elicit it!" he began to lumber into the fray as Hiyori finally snapped and raised her zanpakutoh over her head in a full-power killing blow. As Hachi ran, he chanted a spell, and as he reached the two combatants he placed both hands on Ichigo's back and called out the spell's name. "Let all that once was sealed come undone in the end times of the wavering dragon! When the fire extinguishes and the water evaporates, when the Judgement comes upon the lands that float upon the golden sea, let it be released! Way of Binding 94, **Ragnarok**!" A circle of magic flashed upon Ichigo's back and then blazed through his body as Hiyori's sword came down, and Hachi winced, hoping he wasn't too late.

_**(What utter fools)**___the cackling voice gloated in Ichigo's mind as the pain suddenly grew tenfold and Ichigo's consciousness fell into a dark pit of slashing knives and razor blades.

The Vaizard hideout was rocked by a massive explosion as Ichigo's body erupted in pure soul energy. A massive column of tangible power smashed straight through the roof and roared into the sky as a terrible laugh echoed inside the warehouse. The other Vaizards strained to see through the globe of coherent light that now surrounded Ichigo, Hiyori, and Hachi, but its brightness eclipsed the sun itself within that small space and they were forced to shut their eyes against it.

However, after a few seconds it dissipated and the aftermath could be seen. The first thing the other Vaizards noticed was Hachi thrown halfway through the back wall of the warehouse, barely twitching. The next was a ghostly white, mask-less Ichigo holding the blade of Hiyori's zanpakutoh with the thumb and index finger of his left hand. She appeared to be struggling with all her strength to force her blade but it moved not an inch.

Gleefully, the pale Ichigo lifted Zangestu high into the air, snapped Hiyori's zanpakutoh in half with a twist of his hand, and with a blurring motion sliced off Hiyori's sword arm. It fell to the floor along with her zanpakutoh and she screamed in pain and terror as she stumbled backwards and fell over. Ichigo was immediately surrounded by a host of Vaizards, their zanpakutohs drawn and held to his neck. However, rather than appearing frightened or daunted, the ghost-like Ichigo laughed aloud.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Hirako to the other Vaizards, who seemed clueless as well. "This is ridiculous; the power from his emergence is greater than any we've ever seen, and he doesn't even have a mask on!" he grimly met the eyes of the other Vaizards. "It might be possible that this is something other than a Vaizard transformation…something completely beyond our experience," he lifted up Ichigo's nightmarishly pale face with his zanpakutoh. "What are you, demon?"  
The pale Ichigo giggled again and fixed Hirako with an insane look. "I…am…FREE!" he leaped at Hirako, ignoring the other zanpakutohs scratching his throat as he moved past. Hirako brought up his blade to block, and quickly hybridized, the Hollow mask liquefying into being and covering his face. The other vaizards did similarly, attempting to restrain the former Ichigo as he savagely beat against Hirako's iron defense. The biggest of them grabbed the Hollow-Ichigo's arms and held him fast and the others resumed their places around him, the zanpakutohs held much closer and more alertly this time.

"We have to find out what to do with him and do it quickly. Hiyori is bleeding to death over there and I'm not sure what condition Hachi is in. Keep him like that…with his arms immobilized he shouldn't be able to get the leverage to attack anyone. I think we'll have to revive Hachi and have him re-seal whatever this is. It isn't a normal Vaizard that's for sure." Hirako said as he paced around in front of the still grinning Hollow-Ichigo.

"That's quite correct my masked friends," responded the pale figure, "From what I can tell you are speaking of forcibly splitting your psyche into human and Hollow halves and controlling the Hollow half in order to gain its raw power. You made the mistake of assuming that Ichigo's alter-ego was simply that part of his consciousness acting out. I am something that has never existed before, a true Hollow living inside a human body. You freed me from the seal that a certain enemy of mine placed upon me, and for that I am somewhat thankful but mostly amused at your foolishness. You have no chance against me, _**now release me and stand aside**_," though the voice was high-pitched and cackling, the last words he uttered gained a power and resonance that bespoke a terrible strength.

Hirako laughed, "You've gotta be kidding me. We've got you completely restrained and at the end of half a dozen blades, and you're threatening us? We're not exactly frail beings you know…each one of us has the power of a Captain of Soul Society."

"Maybe a normal shinigami, or even a Hollow would be helpless in these circumstances…but I happen to possess a zanpakutoh of unique power, power that the foolish host of this body will never be able to unlock. Also, you have no idea of the power that you have unleashed this day." An aura of energy began to coalesce around Hollow-Ichigo, and too late the vaizards surrounding him attempted to lift their zanpakutohs to attack.

"_**Zero Getsuga,**_" he uttered quietly as the aura swirled into the blade and erupted in a slicing wave of spirit energy that bisected the Vaizard holding him from behind. Then, as if the other combatants were moving in slow motion, he moved with unbelievable celerity, avoiding dozens of blows that came from every direction. Each of the Vaizards he felled with a single stroke of unparalleled violence, breaking through their zanpakutohs as if they were made of glass and slicing clean through their bodies. Hirako surveyed the slaughter with a stunned silence. _Whatever this thing is, it is purely a creature of battle. That is what it exists for. The only word I can think of to describe this scene is…unstoppable._ Composing himself, he attempted to escape using a hasty flash-step, but as he emerged from the first step he felt the blade of Tensa Zangetsu slide through his chest. He stared numbly at the long, black blade sticking out from his breast, and then felt something beyond pain as the pale Ichigo crunched the blade sideways through his ribcage and pulled it out of his left side. Hirako fell to the ground and was instantly surrounded by a pool of blood.

"They never stood a chance. Then again, no being alive has a chance of surviving against me," another insane cackle escaped from him, but suddenly a realization came to him that changed his demeanor. The twisted smile gave way to a terrible snarl of hatred "Damn! The aura that I generated when I first emerged was massive! That bastard Urahara is somewhere near here and I know he must have noticed. I have to get there immediately before he notifies Soul Society!" Hollow Ichigo disappeared from the scene, leaving the Vaizards to die in the abandoned warehouse.

Immediately afterwards, a short figure appeared from nowhere in the middle of the room. He was short, stocky and wore heavy glasses. Long silvery hair fell to his shoulders as he critically surveyed the scene. Hirako, somehow conscious, saw the figure as his vision blurred into oblivion.

"Madera…-sama…help me…" he groaned as he felt what little life was left in his body trickle out onto the cold, hard floor.

The figure, now identified as Madera, smiled a cruel, icy smile and walked over to Hirako. Without warning he delivered a vicious kick to Hirako's severed ribcage, making the dying Vaizard's eyes open in pain and shock as he rolled onto his back. Madera's eyes glinted with a steely air of evil as he surveyed the broken body.

"I have no need of failures Hirako. You did not succeed in doing what I asked of you and you dare ask me to help you?" Madera's voice rang out crisp and deep, with a biting edge to it that was filled with the promise of death; an imposing power certainly not expected from his physical stature.

"He was…beyond strong," Hirako protested, straining to keep his vision and voice active even as a coldness settled into his very bones. "I don't know what he was…not a Vaizard…but he was stronger than any shinigami…"

"Yes…yes he is. I doubt that all the shinigami that exist in Soul Society would be capable of defeating him…this one with no name," Madera said gleefully, his irises shifting colors wildly as a maniac expression altered his features.

The coldness Hirako felt chilled through to the very hole where his heart should have been. "You…knew then…" it was not a question, but rather a hopeless statement.

"Oh yes I certainly did my young _friend_ Hirako," Madera laughed insanely. "I finally found what Urahara and the rest of Soul Society hid away a hundred years ago, so I was able to use you to get it for me. I don't know what he was doing in that boy's body, but he is certainly not the boy's Hollow half. He is the Unnamed One, the first of the Arrancar. He is not as weak as the 'assisted' Arrancars being produced by the truckload by Aizen Sosuke…oh no…he is a being of true power. There is something I must get from him, and I thank you for your services Hirako, but what just happened accomplished two goals of mine in one go—I can't be leaving loose ends such as you Vaizards around after all—so if you'll excuse me…" another deep laugh echoed through the warehouse and Madera disappeared, leaving silence as Hirako lay on the ground, cursing his fate as the life drained from his body.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Recapturing**

"Jintaaa…Ururuuu…Tessaiii!" Urahara's voice rang out jovially through the Urahara Shop and the three assistants to the mysterious Sandal-Hat moved quickly to the front of the shop where Urahara sat on a chair waiting for them. His expression, however, was far from jovial as they approached him. His eyes were shadowed by his wide-brimmed hat but his mouth was pressed into a grim line.

"I have called you three here to discuss a matter of extreme importance. I speak in all seriousness when I say that this may be the beginning of the end for Soul Society if we do not act quickly," he said in a quickly moving but solemn voice.

"A few seconds ago I detected a massive reiatsu release a few miles from here, on the outskirts of Karakura. It was neither Shinigami nor Hollow reiatsu, and its power was far above what I have detected from Aizen's Arrancar. I have reason to believe that this reiatsu release is from the one that I have told you about before, the Unnamed One.

"WHAT!?" Jinta exploded, waving his bat around wildly, not coincidentally very close to Ururu's head. "You told us you thought he died a couple years ago!"

"I was rather sure of that when I told you of him, but I began to have some doubts at the time I began to train Ichigo. The mask he evinced during the psyche-restoring training was an exact replica of No-Name's old mask before he removed it himself. I am not sure how he managed to become part of Ichigo, but I have my suspicions. I used that mask to bind him into a soul a hundred years ago and I will need it if we hope to seal him again. Ururu, I believe Yoruichi-san still has it, so could you please go fetch her?"

"Yes, Urahara-sama," Ururu murmured, meek as ever, and disappeared. Urahara turned to the remaining two, Jinta and Tessai. "I had you create preparations for this situation, and I need you to go set them up. If he comes, I will stall him until Yoruichi arrives. I don't want you to enact the plans until I have the Mask in my hands. This requires extremely precise timing, otherwise his overwhelming power will simply cancel out any attempts we make to seal him."  
"Yes sir," Tessai said calmly, grabbing Jinta by his shirt collar and dragging him out of sight. Urahara, as his part of the preparations, sat back down in his chair and pulled his hat farther over his eyes as if he was sleeping. His hand, however, was gripped strongly on his cane, in which lay Benihime.

He did not have long to relax. With a thunderous roar, all the windows on the front of his shop burst inward and the wooden sliding doors splintered as the Hollow-Ichigo known as No-Name walked in. He strode over to the sitting Urahara and grabbed the front of his robe with one hand and lifted him into a standing position.

"Can I help you?" Urahara asked innocently, his fingers tapping on the curve of his cane.

"Don't play the fool, Urahara!" No-Name snarled, holding Zangetsu in a threatening manner. "I want some answers from you. You sealed me into that female Shinigami a hundred years ago, so I know you have the answers I want. If you tell me, I'll make your death quick and relatively painless."

Urahara chuckled, arising No-Name's ire, but he seemed unaware of it. "Better be careful No-Name, if you let me get too close I might seal you again!" Suddenly Benihime sailed through the air in a whistling arc. No-Name leaped back, sneering at what he thought was Urahara's feeble attempt at defense. However, Benihime did not come down upon Ichigo's body, but rather it severed an innocuous bamboo column that had been decoratively arranged around the room. A twang sounded as a thread inside the column was cut and the floor collapsed under the two combatants. No-Name, suddenly losing control of the situation, cursed viciously as he tumbled downwards into a mammoth, sandy cavern. He attempted to land on his feet, but winced as the knees dislocated with a popping noise.

"Feh…this body definitely doesn't match up with mine, which brings me to my reason to coming here, Urahara," he glared at the Shinigami who was levitating to the ground under the effects of a kidoh spell.

"Oh really? I figured that might have something to do with it. After we succeeded in sealing you into Masaki we took your body back to your fortress in Hueco Mundo, the Montaña Miedoso, and turned it into a tomb. However, I won't allow you to leave this room, much less let you get to that place."  
No-Name looked at Urahara incredulously, then burst out laughing in his unmistakable high-pitched cackle. "What makes you think that I can't simply kill you in a single blow and leave now that I have my information? That was a foolish mistake Kisuke." a dark aura swirled around Tensa Zangetsu, and No-Name lifted it into the air.

"GETSUGA!" he roared and brought it down in an arc. An angular blaze of black energy screamed towards Urahara, sending sand flying in clouds as it blasted its way across the ground. The Sandal-Hat shop owner grinned and raised Benihime in a defensive stance.

"I must have a bit more confidence in my abilities than you do. I may have been only one of four to fight you those hundred years ago, but that doesn't mean I can't stand against you alone for a little while! Call out, Benihime!" his zanpakutoh's name echoed out over the sonic boom of the Getsuga and a red mist spread out in front of him. He made no effort to move away from the Getsuga as it approached, much to the consternation of No-Name, who had been expecting him to. The wave of black energy slammed into a sudden barrier as it hit the mist, and an explosion of coruscating spirit energy blocked out No-Name's view of Urahara. The Arrancar stood there, ready to block a counterattack, but none came. The light died down and Urahara stood there unharmed.

"Damn you, how did you do that?" No-Name growled, angered by the way Urahara had so easily brushed off the attack. He stalked to one side then the other, trying to scout out his opponent's abilities.

"Now, now my dear No-Name, I'm surprised at your poor memory. I guess I didn't register as enough of a threat to you a hundred years ago for you to remember my powers. That always has been a problem of yours, you know. You believe yourself to be so great that you face no threat from any being. It was what caused your fall then, and it shall be what causes you to fail today." Urahara said jovially.

"Just answer my question!" No-Name raged.

_Hook, line, and sinker. I can keep us talking for quite a long time now._ Urahara thought triumphantly even as he attempted to show reluctance on the outside. "I suppose I could at that, as I have a burning curiosity that must be satisfied as well. I'll answer your trifling question, but first tell me this. How did you survive the death of Masaki and become part of Ichigo's soul?"

No-Name stared for a second, then laughed uproariously. "Yes, I suppose it is somewhat of a mystery for you isn't it? For me it has been all too real for the past 9 years or so. Why don't I start at the beginning though? It is such a lovely story after all…and telling it will make me want to kill you even more than I already do," his eyes narrowed into slits but he continued talking.

"As I'm sure you remember I appeared out of nowhere slightly more than 100 years ago as the three worlds' first intelligent Hollow. Though the term Arrancar did not yet exist, I was the first among its ranks. Having overcome those emotions that controlled a Hollow's existence: fear, hate, rage, _despair_, I rallied the forces of Hueco Mundo to my banner. My dream was to make every other Hollow like me, changed into a pure spirit that had power and free will. I succeeded with precious few, but still my military power grew and grew. Too many of my followers were too driven to hatred to let go and remove their masks though. This hatred, I found, was of those who hunted them mercilessly and destroyed them and all their kind. I knew that if I wanted to create my world of Arrancar, I would first have to destroy the Shinigami."

Urahara's breath whooshed out in amazement. "So _that_ was your purpose in the end. Complete destruction of the Shinigami. You could have done it too, if it weren't for old man Yama."

No-Name spat on the ground at the mention of the Captain of the First Division. "That bastard was the one thing I hadn't counted on. I had personally killed a few of these so-called 'captains,' the leaders of Shinigami Society, and I had never expected there to be one with so much more power than the rest. When I broadcasted my message to Soul Society of the attack we would make in 10 days time, I knew there would be some attempt on my life. I even anticipated it, they would send their best to take me on and I looked forward to it. I did not expect one with such overwhelming power as mine. The other three of you hardly mattered, it was he who weakened me to such a great extent that I could be captured. The four of you, the others I believe were named Isshin and Masaki, took me back to Soul Society in chains of lethality stone. Then…oh yes then! Then you tried to destroy me, using every means imaginable, and they all failed!" his eyes dilated wildly and an insane grin twisted the face of Ichigo as No-Name fondly reminisced on the event.

"When not even the fires of the Soukyouku could incinerate me, it was **you **who came up with the solution. Somehow you found the mask that had bound me in my years as a Hollow, and you devised a way to use its power to seal me inside the soul of that female Shinigami Masaki."

Urahara nodded his head sadly. "I did not want her to take on that responsibility, and neither did Isshin, whose feelings for her were well known, but she insisted that it be she who holds the Demon that killed so many of her friends and colleagues. The sealing completely ended her powers as a Shinigami and she had to live in the Material World from then on…as a normal human."

No-Name sneered at Urahara, rage infecting his features. "Shinigami! Always thinking only of their own. How many of my followers had you killed in the name of purifying them? Their old lives were dead to existence, and they only had their Arrancar lives to look forward to, lives of power and glory. You took that away from them by "cleansing" them. But…a debate for another time, back to the story at hand," he clenched his teeth, remembering back to his sealing into Masaki's soul. "I will curse you for another thousand years for devising such a powerful method of sealing me. In the beginning, it completely shattered my consciousness, and I remember nothing. However, an indeterminate amount of time passed and suddenly I began to exist again. My mind was somewhat capable of thought, and I perceived slightly, though it seemed there was very little to perceive. I floated through a dark space, dimensionless and devoid of all things."

"Again, an unknowable amount of time passed, though I think that time was shorter than the previous had been. I saw a pinpoint of light in my dimensionless space, a sudden anchor to give dimension to my existence. It was a beacon of life and hope, things I could barely stand to be near, but they were all I could cling to. It slowly grew, and I could eventually tell that it was a forming soul, still part of the larger soul that I also inhabited. Suddenly, after a long time of knowing the light's existence, it began to fade away. I became frightened, not wanting to return to that unbearable nothingness that had pervaded my consciousness for so long. So I entered into the light, something I had never brought myself to do before, and I found myself looking out the eyes of a human infant as he entered into the Material World."

"Incredible! Simply amazing," Urahara interrupted, lost in thought as he imagined the ramifications of what he just heard. "I never imagined when I created that spell that Masaki would have a child. No one really knows how the souls of mother and child are interconnected, but it sound like from what you say that they are one and the same. The way I made the sealing spell would not have allowed you to move into Ichigo's soul under any other circumstances."

"Well, following that I could experience the world again through the eyes of Ichigo, but I was unable to take control in any way," continued No-Name as he lazily twirled Zangetsu. "The seal had weakened somewhat to allow me to perceive and think fully, but I still lacked any ability to free myself. For over a decade and a half I was constantly frustrated, unable to do anything about my captivity. I had hoped that when Masaki died I would be free from the curse you laid on me, but the seal in Ichigo proved to be completely separate. I despaired of ever being able to free myself, that I had only prolonged my journey to oblivion, for I sensed that when my host died that, though I would not be destroyed, I would retreat back to my consciousness-less state for forever."

"However, fate was on my side, and this brings me to my favorite part of this story," a huge grin spread across No-Name's face, and hints of laughter played about his lips as he reminisced. "The one who finally gave me the path to freedom…was YOU!" he broke into a cackling guffaw, filled with a terrible mirth. "Those experiments you made on Ichigo to renew his Shinigami powers weakened the seal you made 100 years ago! In that short space I was nearly able to fully break my way free, but then it stopped me for long enough for Ichigo to regain consciousness," his grin turned to a snarl once again and Zangetsu twirled faster.

"It?" Urahara prodded, though he was fairly sure he knew what "it" was.

"That damn mask of course!" No-Name raged, firing another getsuga at Urahara, who dodged it this time. "The last safeguard of your seal remained with me! It stopped me from completely overpowering him, but the breach I created remained. I managed to fool Zangetsu into thinking I was another part of Ichigo's soul, which was almost true, and it allowed me freer reign. Whenever Ichigo's resolve weakened I was able to come to the surface for a short time, but always I was forced under again. Finally, when Ichigo thought he could control me by becoming a Vaizard, one of their members attempted to release the seal thinking it was limiting Ichigo's inner Hollow. Of course he didn't completely release it—the seal you created was far beyond his skill to break completely—but its power was reduced to about a tenth of what it was, easily allowing me to overpower Ichigo's consciousness. I killed those fools and came here to kill you, which I plan on doing very, very soon."

_That worked even better than I hoped…Yoruichi should be here any time. He isn't even at full power yet, so I think that I can attempt to seal him right away. Good thing too, I won't be able to stand against him for more than a few minutes._ Urahara's inner train of thought ran wildly, going through all the possibilities he could muster, alighting on the best course of action.

"Well you've certainly answered my question, so I suppose I shall answer yours," he spoke aloud. "My Benihime is among the most powerful and versatile of all zanpakutohs. Its shi-kai release allows me to create and control a substance known as _bloodmist_, and this substance is the essence that is used to create Lethality Stone. Most are told that Lethality Stone is minable in certain areas of Rukongai, but in truth I alone can imbue almost any substance to have the spirit power absorbing properties of Lethality Stone, even air," he demonstrated by waving Benihime in a lazy pattern, creating a shimmering red haze that sat there without moving.

"However, the versatile part of Benihime is that bloodmist can be concentrated to such a point that it simply destroys all matter and energy that it comes into contact with by absorbing its structure, making a weapon very similar to a Cero," again he demonstrated by slicing downward with Benihime, making a glowing red blaze that tore along the ground at No-Name.

No-Name however, looked at the attack with contempt. He stood fast in the face of the attack and held out his hand. As the bloodmist wave came within a few inches of his hand, a flare of spirit energy detonated around No-Name and the red energy dissipated.

"So it is related to Lethality Stone? Very well then, I have dealt with the substance before. There is a very easy way to overcome it," he grinned as a solid globe of spirit power appeared in his hand. "All I have to do is use an extreme amount of power!"

Spirit energy crackled like lightning around him and a cyclone roared into being. Black fire burned around Zangetsu as No-Name focused all his power into a singularly massive attack. "There'll be no dodging this one! Better hope you can summon enough bloodmist to block it, though I severely doubt that's possible! _**Chou Getsuga!**_" No-Name took a literal batter's stance and swung home a grand-slam. A monstrous wave of black energy roared out like the storm surge of a hurricane. Urahara hurriedly conjured as many layers of _bloodmist_ as possible and jumped back.

The massive getsuga slammed through each shimmering curtain of red mist without losing momentum and went straight for Urahara. Mr. Sandal-Hat had been only using the bloodmist as a brief delay while he chanted the lines of a kidoh spell.

"_The dark eye of the chaos beast swirls into azure whirlwinds and the hammer of the thunder king rings upon the unyielding plate of the universe. When the knight-lord does battle with the scion of Woe let this be what stands between the two destinies! _Way of Binding 87, Blackened Aegis!" Urahara shouted out the name of the spell right as No-Name's attack reached him. A swirling black vortex sprang into being and began to swallow the attack. No-Name gazed upon Urahara's defense grimly, ready to slam out another _Chou Getsuga_ if need be.

For a minute it seemed as if the kidoh would indeed negate the huge energy wave, but suddenly the vortex shuddered and cracks appeared in it, blazing with white light. The entire vortex turned white and flashed out of existence, leaving almost half of No-Name's attack aiming straight at Urahara. Urahara's eyes widened in shock and his hat blew off his head as the darkness engulfed him and exploded, drowning out No-Name's maniacal laughter.

"It is time to go get my true body back from Hueco Mundo and rebuild my empire. This time **none** shall stop me, not even Yamamoto Genryuusai!" he exulted as he turned to exit the cave. What he saw then chilled his blood and caused him to grip the hilt of Zangetsu with steel-twisting force.

Shihouin Yoruichi stood, holding a flustered Urahara over her back, and carrying a very familiar Hollow mask.

Yoruichi let go of Urahara, who dusted himself off and took the Hollow mask from her. Tremors of rage shook No-Name and his teeth ground together as his eyes boiled with a hate beyond mortal comprehension.

"That…that…" he bit out, barely able to talk; so enraged was he by the object that now was held before him.

"That what?" Urahara asked innocently, smiling.

"THAT MASK! HOW…DARE...YOU!" he screamed with fury, letting loose an uncontrolled blaze of energy from Zangetsu at the pair. Urahara and Yoruichi split off and dodged the badly aimed attack, and reconnoitered behind the raging Arrancar.

"So this is the Unnamed Arrancar you've told me about Urahara? His power is certainly great, but he was quite put off by the appearance of that mask." Yoruichi looked askance at him.

"He knows that the appearance of the mask once again is the signal of his defeat. Please stand back my friend, I don't want anyone else at risk here except me," Urahara replied, grimly holding the grinning mask in one hand and Benihime in the other.

No-Name had regained control of himself, but a wavy haze rose from him and the sand around him as if a great heat were burning away underneath him. He turned his gaze towards Yoruichi and Urahara, and the look in his eye was so terrible that it felt like it was burning the very skin off their bodies.

"You will _**die**_ before you get that mask on me, Urahara," he grated in a horrible voice quite different from his previous, almost playful tones of voice.

"We'll see, No-Name, we'll see," Urahara said calmly, and leaped into the very den of Hell that was No-Name's general vicinity. At first surprised by the brazen attack, No-Name grinned evilly and licked his lips in anticipation.

"Last ditch attempt Urahara? Very well, I'll meet it and end your pitiful life," he said gleefully, spirit energy swirling around his blade as he charged another powerful getsuga with which to obliterate Urahara. As Urahara came near, the energy around Tensa Zangetsu began to distort perspective, twisting space by virtue of its awesome concentration.

However, rather than attacking Ichigo's possessed body directly, Urahara made deep cuts in the sand in a square formation around No-Name, who stood confused as sand sprayed up in an obscuring cloud. Ready to counter a desperate attack on Urahara's part with a massive release of energy, he had not been expecting anything else and was cut off guard as his vision was suddenly blocked from all directions. He tried to move out of the cloud but for some reason met an invisible wall as he tried to flash-step out.

_Incredible! He transformed the sand around me into lethality stone and created a miniature version of the barrier around Seireitei! For a few seconds, he has me right where he wants me…_

Indeed Urahara smiled as he imagined the thoughts running through No-Name's mind. "Jinta, Tessai, NOW!" he shouted above him, and No-Name looked up-the only direction not obscured to him- and saw a hole open directly above him in the cavernous ceiling and something drop down towards him. His eyes widened to their utmost horror, and Ichigo's pupils shrank to inhuman dots as No-Name realized what it was.

"GAAAAAAHHH URAHARA YOU BASTARD!" he screamed with impotent fury as massive chains formed from pure lethality stone crashed down onto him, crushing him to the ground. Jinta and Tessai followed close behind, using giant stakes also made of lethality stone to quickly and efficiently anchor the net of chains to the sandy surface, pinning the raging Arrancar.

Urahara walked over nonchalantly, flipping the Hollow mask into the air and catching it a few times. "I assume you remember these chains No-Name? They're the ones we used to bring you back from Hueco Mundo. They're made from the densest lethality stone that Benihime can produce, almost ten times stronger than the barrier around Soul Society. With the seal still placed on you, I imagine it would still only take you minutes to escape from them. However, minutes are not what you have; only seconds remain before I reseal you. I don't care what your goals are, nor do I care how powerful you are; you killed some of my dearest comrades during the battle with your forces 100 years ago and I have prepared for this day since that century-long lapse. I will make sure that you never wreak your destruction upon any of the three worlds again," saying that, he lifted up No-Name's head and placed the mask upon it. As the mask touched the skin that had previously belonged to Ichigo, steam rose up from the distorted face and No-Name let forth a terrible scream that made Yoruichi and Jinta tremble, but Urahara and Tessai stood grimly, concentrating on the task at hand.

Urahara reached into his robes as the figure under him continued howling in agony at the pain of the mask that he had so longed ago wrenched free from. He pulled something that looked similar to a Quincy bracelet, but was also its antithesis. The bracelet was a bloody crimson, the cross was inverted, and the entire thing projected waves of malevolence.

"Urahara! What is that?" Yoruichi shouted at him over the keening of No-Name. "Its nature is evil, I can feel it from 10 feet away!"

Urahara put the bracelet on his right wrist, and spoke to her without turning away from No-Name's writhing form. "An artifact I created a long, long time ago. It is similar to a Quincy device in that it is used for the collection of energy, and energy is precisely what I need to correctly use this sealing technique. However, for kidoh I cannot use the energy of the surrounding environment. This bracelet concentrates the very energy of Hell itself, the source of kidoh magic."

Yoruichi shook her head in amazement. "Yet another forbidden creation Urahara. You certainly seem to be obsessed with them."

Urahara grinned impishly, "We can discuss semantics later. Right now I have a job to do," he stood up, and held his right hand into the air. Circular waves of red energy suddenly became visible in the air, like the ripples from a rock being thrown into a pool. The red, inverted cross glowed incandescently as Urahara concentrated the horrifying energy to its limit. As he did, a litany of bone-chilling words flowed past his lips, a kidoh incantation in the very language of Hell.

"Arum varuna, goeschni malacruf, derno zolokada nasifie pynquora, eledoxyn, teremani, silavada, ygdamaru! Way of Binding 101, Binding of Kisuke!" at the final, triumphant word he brought the hand adorned with the crimson bracelet down upon the masked face in a smiting motion. All the energy he had built up in the artifact discharged over the body, snapping the lethality stone chains like so many twigs. It burrowed into every pore and orifice, and No-Name's ululations rose to a fever pitch as he tried to fight the overwhelming power of the augmented sealing spell.

_Damn…at best I can prolong being completely consumed for a few minutes. I can't waste my power like that, _he thought as he struggled under the Hellish energy penetrating into his very being. _If I completely stop fighting and do it right now with all the power that remains, it should be enough…_

Somehow Urahara saw it before it happened. Some intuition flashed through his mind and he instinctively dived backwards, bearing Jinta away as a massive explosion of spirit energy tore the entire 50-ton ceiling of the cave away and roared into the sky unobstructed as a monumental pillar of blue fire. The broken chains of lethality stone shimmered as they absorbed unimaginable amounts of energy and incinerated into dust. A huge ghost of a Hollow Mask rose through the column of spirit power, distorting and twisting in pain. As it cleared ground level it opened its mouth wide and roared in a voice that could be heard all across Japan, "**I…SHALL LIVE…****AGAIN****!"**Across the town of Karakura windows shattered under the massive shockwave's of No-Name's final message to the 3 worlds and residents cowered in fear from a power reminiscent of an atom bomb. Slowly the incredible exertion of power dissipated and finally No-Name sunk to his knees, retreating back into the body that was Ichigo's once again, now bound by far stronger chains than those of lethality stone.

_Once again, oblivion… I can only hope that it worked…_ were the final thoughts of the nameless Arrancar before complete blackness of mind and soul once again overcame him.

Ichigo's body collapsed onto the ground of the now open cave, and the bystanders—having been knocked flat by the initial release of power—picked themselves up from the ground.

"I never could have imagined such a fearsome opponent," Yoruichi was the first to speak, in awe of the fantastic strength of the Nameless adversary.

"Yes, only old man Yama could have ever hoped to stand against him in single combat. However, during their battle 100 years ago, even Genryuusai had to use a technique so powerful that it drained his life energy to the point of withering his very soul. If he were to be completely free again, I doubt anyone in this world or in Soul Society could stand against him," was Urahara's grim reply.

"However," he broke into a wide grin, "We seem to have made it past this particular obstacle. Why don't we get Ichigo back up to the shop…well what's left of it anyways. He'll need some time to rest and I will have to tell him about what has transpired here."

"Will he have any shinigami powers now that the seal is reinforced upon him though?" Yoruichi questioned intently. "From what you have said, now that No-Name is fully bonded to his soul his power will be swallowed up just keeping control of No-Name just as Masaki's was."

Urahara pondered on the question for a moment as Tessai carried Ichigo's shallowly breathing body up to the shop, "It is very possible, in which case we will need to keep a constant watch in order to protect him. However, I have an alternate theory that may prove very useful to us in the war to come with Aizen Sousuke."  
"Oh? Tell me more," Yoruichi prompted him, intrigued.

"Well, Ichigo's soul has lived with an uncontrolled No-Name for all of his life. The power of his soul has had time to grow in response to the threat of the foreign invader. I believe that the fact that Ichigo has evinced any Shinigami power at all shows us his base spirit power is unbelievable. Now, with No-Name more forcefully controlled within him, Ichigo's powers may have more of a chance to be used consciously instead of fighting a Hollow's influence. If I'm right, the seal I used on No-Name compared to the freedom he had before will allow Ichigo at least twice the amount of raw power than he previously enjoyed."

"Incredible…" Yoruichi breathed in amazement. "Then he may indeed be one of the most powerful allies against Aizen's Arrancar."

"Yes he may. I just pray that Aizen never learns of the terrible secret Ichigo holds, for he may foolishly attempt to release it. If he completely undoes the seal, we will no longer have to worry about Aizen, but something far worse will appear to challenge the safety of the 3 worlds." Urahara strode back on the way to his shop, yelling to Tessai to repair the ceiling of the cave when he had time. Yoruichi stared after for a few seconds, but then followed, thinking deeply on what may be to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Revelations**

_Complete darkness…is this death? Have I been destroyed by my inner hollow? Will I have to float through this void for eternity? _Stygian thoughts floated outward from an obscured source. _Have I failed those I swore to protect once again? Damn…I have no idea what to do!_

The swish of a cloak and deep, echoing words; _Ichigo, all is not lost. Seek out the will once more…the will…to…_ the words faded away once more into an unending abyss.

_Old man Zangetsu! Is that you!? What do you mean…the will? What will? Why can't I feel your presence? Why can't I see anything!?_ The last thought projected out as a shout, but Ichigo couldn't tell if he'd even said anything at all.

_WHY CAN'T I SEE ANYTHING!?_

"Because you've got your eyes closed dumbass!" a sharp retort blazed through his mind. Ichigo started and awoke to the confines of the Urahara Shop, with a glaring Jinta staring down at him.

"Took ya long enough to wake up, stupid!" the petulant youth exclaimed and left out the door, leaving Ichigo bewildered.

"Wait!" he shouted out the door, trying to get up but suddenly realizing he was strapped to the floor by strange-looking chains. "What happened? Why am I here? How long has it been!?" his frantic words flew out the door but found no one there to give their message to. He began to struggle at the chains in an attempt to free himself.

"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. No worries though…the restraints where just somewhat of a …erm…_precaution_," a jovial voice rang out above him. Ichigo tilted his head back slightly to see none but Urahara himself standing there, leaning heavily on his cane but looking jolly and enigmatic as ever. He waved his free hand over the chains and they floated into the air, coiled into a pile, and settled themselves in a corner. Ichigo slowly stood up, feeling pain all over his body as he did. Wincing, he turned to face Urahara with an intense stare.

"Tell me what happened, what happened to the Vaizards and why am I here?" he demanded of the smiling shop owner. As soon as Ichigo mentioned the word Vaizards however, the smile faded and Urahara turned grim.

"Ah yes, the Vaizards, certainly a word I'd never thought I would hear again. A few hundred years ago, one of my compatriots, Akizonu Madera, made an incredibly breakthrough of splitting his psyche into Hollow and Shinigami halves. Of course he was immediately cast out from Soul Society after doing so, but I never imagined that he would gain a following of other Shinigami who wished to undergo the process as well. It is the same process I used on you to regain your Shinigami powers, and I knew that it would eventually turn you into a Vaizard as well but I had to risk it to bring your power back."

"Just something else you didn't tell me for fear I'd chicken out," Ichigo broke in, annoyed at bringing this subject up again. "Even if you'd told me the consequences I would have gone through with it."

"I still didn't know you well enough back then, but yes, now I think I can tell you everything you need to know," Urahara replied, tipping his hat forward. "Unfortunately, all the Vaizards that you were with at the time of the…incident…were killed."

"Killed!?" Ichigo yelled in shock, "What happened? I thought they were ready for the Hollow transformation to occur, how could they possibly have all been killed!?" Ichigo sank to his knees, overwhelmed by the news of the death of those that he had gone to for help. True, the one annoying one, Hiyori, had attacked him, but they were still willing to help him control his Hollow. They hadn't deserved this…

"Well, the truth is Ichigo," Urahara said, looking down at Ichigo solemnly, realizing the feelings he was currently experiencing, "You are not a Vaizard. When I performed the psyche-splitting procedure it didn't work because there was already another psyche inside of you," Ichigo looked up at Urahara in amazement, wondering what would come next in this horrible day of surprises.

"You see, there was a terrible Arrancar that existed about 100 years ago, one who had removed his mask of his own volition unlike Aizen's pawns. His power was greater than anything Aizen has yet brought to bear against us, and most likely greater than anything he can ever create, and he was bent on destroying Soul Society. However, four Shinigami bravely went to do battle with him in his stronghold in Hueco Mundo, and barely defeated him. Those four Shinigami were myself, Yamamoto Genryuusai, and your mother and father Ichigo."

"My…you mean…no way…" Ichigo breathed, blown away by yet another shock. "You're telling me that my crazy dad and my mother were Shinigami!? If that were true, my mom never would have died to that...Grand Fisher guy."

"Unfortunately, the events played out unfavorably," Urahara corrected him. "This Arrancar had a will to exist that was completely unbreakable, and no method we devised could destroy him. Therefore, the only thing to do would be to seal him away. No conventional seal would work though, for once he regained his power no static seal would hold against his power. It would have to be something with living power that could grow as he did and completely break him. It required the power of a soul to seal him, and the one who volunteered to do it was Masaki. Even though I was completely against it, Genryuusai ordered it, and I was forced to. The power necessary to hold the Arrancar completely drained her Shinigami powers and she had to live in the Material World down here. I volunteered to come down to keep an eye on her and Isshin came as well. Even though I grieved deeply when she died, and Isshin still blames himself for it to this day, we both thought that the threat of No-Name had disappeared. Unfortunately, it seems he found a way to escape into you and inhabit your body instead of Masaki's."

Ichigo pondered Urahara's words for a moment and the mysterious store owner saw a resolve steel itself inside Ichigo's eyes that Urahara had seen before when he sent the boy to Soul Society. "So you're saying that I have to contain this being that could destroy everything should it be set free? And at the same time I have to fight Aizen's forces?" Ichigo felt the responsibilities he held for himself increase tenfold, weighing his shoulders and head down with an unbearable force.

Urahara noticed the change in Ichigo's features as he processed the information, and a shadowed look crossed his face for an instant, but he suddenly became jovial again. "Not to worry Ichigo! I have complete confidence in your ability to fight both battles, especially now that I've redone the seal. Now, let's see how much your powers have increased!" Urahara poked Ichigo in the forehead with the tip of his cane, and Ichigo winced, closing his eyes for the tearing feeling that always came with turning into a Shinigami, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" Ichigo opened his eyes in a confused state as Urahara stood bewildered as well. He poked Ichigo a few more times with the cane, with a similar result. Slowly his expression changed from that of bewilderment to resigned defeat.

"This is very unfortunate Ichigo," Urahara said grimly as he began to search through his pockets for something. "I was hoping the opposite would happen, but it seems that with the seal strengthened, more power has been drawn from your soul to contain No-Name. I was sure that the power of resealing and reintroducing the mask would be enough, but once again I underestimated that monster's power. It would appear the same thing has happened to you that happened to Masaki, the power of your soul is so tied into containing No-Name that I can't even expel you as a Plus let alone a Shinigami. It seems that we must take a trip to Soul Society, there are some people I need to talk to. This has complicated the situation greatly, instead of strengthening one of our fighters I have completely erased one," he pulled what looked like small microphone out of his robes.

"This is Urahara Kisuke, I need to speak to Genryuusai. This is a primary priority message," he said into the device. It was silent for a few seconds, but then shot up into the air and hovered, turning around to face the wall. Light shot out of it, and the stern face of Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, Supreme Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the 1st Division itself, was projected onto the wall. The image looked at Urahara, then turned to glance at Ichigo, and finally came back to Urahara before speaking.

"So it has happened…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Reunions**

"I see that it has come to pass Kisuke," Genryuusai's deep, powerful voice rumbled through the device. Urahara looked quite surprised at the fact that the 1st Division Commander seemed to already know what was happening.

"Yes, Genryuusai-dono, it appears that No-Name escaped into the soul of Masaki's son Ichigo, and with the passage of time and all the boy has been through, the seal finally broke. I have already resealed No-Name back into Ichigo's body, but he appears to have completely lost his powers through the resealing process." Urahara said respectfully, bowing before the tremendous presence of the ancient Shinigami.

Genryuusai displayed no outward emotions, but when he spoke his voice was touched with sadness. "A great loss to our cause against Aizen then," his eyes turned to Ichigo, who stood stiffly, still unbelieving of the one final blow that he had taken in such a tortuous day. "I am sorry Ichigo, but at least take some solace in the fact that you were not lost completely. I am sure your friends and allies will feel the same here and on Earth. Kisuke, I assume that you want to return to Soul Society at this time, there are many things to discuss with this latest development."

"That would be best after all, Genryuusai-Dono," Urahara said with some relief as he continued. "I'd like to bring Ichigo with me as well to see if there is anything I can attempt in Soul Society that I cannot here."

A brief shadow passed across Genryuusai's heavily lined face, but it was there for but an instant, and Ichigo could not fathom its intent. He pondered over Old Man Zangetsu's enigmatic statement, but could not make heads or tails of it. His mulling was cut off by the quick swish of Urahara's cloak as he turned to face Ichigo, turning off the device and letting Genryuusai's image fade.

"Well Ichigo, don't act as if all hope is lost! If you'd given up that easily when I sent you to Soul Society you wouldn't even be here today! Let us go to Soul Society and you can have some reunions of your own, no?" Urahara said in attempted high spirits, trying to brighten Ichigo's dark demeanor.

Ichigo silently dreaded meeting some of the Shinigami in Soul Society with his new lack of powers, but knew it was foolishness not to follow Urahara. "Alright, when do we leave?" he asked somewhat reticently.

"Please Ichigo, you make it sound like such a chore! I'll be right back and then we can leave immediately." Urahara whisked himself away into another room as he ended his sentence and loud noises of moving objects could soon be heard throughout the house.

Ichigo sat there for a few minutes, contemplating what he would do when he got to Soul Society, and not finding much he'd look forward to. What would the other Shinigami say when they saw that he was no longer one them? Well...he would have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Ah! Here it is!" came Urahara's voice, followed by the man himself. He was carrying a small scrap of paper with runes scrawled on it. "I can't expel your spirit from your body at the moment so I'll just have to settle with transforming your body into spiritrons for this trip. Hopefully we'll have you back to normal by the time we're done in Soul Society," he opened a door and walked down a set of stairs. Ichigo followed with a mumbled "I highly doubt that," but didn't bother to contest it openly.

They emerged in the large underground area, and directly in front of them stood the massive spirit gate, covered in charms.

"No time to waste Ichigo, time is of the essence after all. Plus I've been waiting to go back to Soul Society for far too long!" Urahara exclaimed joyfully as he slapped the paper onto Ichigo's forehead. A slightly ethereal quality spread across his body and he started for the gate, but was pushed out of the way by Urahara who leaped enthusiastically towards it, disappearing into the gate. Ichigo sighed and walked slowly into the gate, shuddering as his body discorporated into spiritrons and recorporated on the other side. _Once more into the breach_ he thought as he slowly trudged along.

**

_In the darkness of Hueco Mundo, deeper into the shifting chaos of the dead world than even normal Hollows dread to walk, two consciousnesses stirred._

_-Did you feel it?-_

**-Faintly, but yes-**

_-It is a sign from our Master-_

**-He requires our aid-**

_-The One With No Name has called upon us once again-_

**-Who will travel to the Material World to free him?-**

_-I will...the ones who hold him will not see me until it is too late-_

**-Yes...now that we know his location, his rising is assured-**

_-Go to the Montaña Miedoso and send a signal to those who dwell there-_

**-I will give them a message they will not ignore-**

_-Then may the rebirth of the Nameless One come swiftly-_

**-And the rise of the Hollow race soon follow-**

******

Ichigo and Urahara found themselves in the stygian realm between worlds, white, ghostly hands reaching out at them from walls that began to close in. Ichigo sprinted forward ahead of the entrapping path, but Urahara walked sedately forward, seemingly unaware of the danger he was in.

"Urahara! Come on!" Ichigo shouted behind him to the slow-moving man. "If you let those things touch you they'll take your soul!" One of the hands boldly moved forward to grab at Urahara's leg.

To Ichigo's amazement, Urahara began to whistle nonchalantly, and unsheathed Benihime. A red mist spread out from the sword, pushing the hands and walls back into position. The curtain of redness spread out to encompass the entire path and Urahara continued to stroll along whistling a merry little tune.

"Why in such a hurry Ichigo? Might as well stop to enjoy the scenery while we're here," he grinned mischievously as he re-sheathed his blade. Ichigo stopped, somewhat dumbfounded, and Urahara caught up with him. They both walked at an even pace along the path between worlds, the dangers around them clamoring at the curtain of Benihime's bloodmist but unable to penetrate it. A light shone at them from the end of the tunnel, and flashed outward to encompass their vision. Ichigo covered his eyes for a moment, and when he looked again he was standing in Rukongai with Urahara, dwellers of the spirit world looking out of their houses at them.

Urahara took a deep breath from the spirit-rich air and let out a sigh of contentment, "It certainly is good to be back after 100 years of self-imposed exile. Come Ichigo, let us move on to Seireitei; there is much I must do before the day is out."

They moved towards the gleaming white buildings of the city of Shinigami, Ichigo trailing behind with a somewhat sullen demeanor; he still did not see why he had to come along now that he was no longer a Shinigami. He hoped the business would be over with and that he would be able to return to his world and eke out a somewhat normal life, though he looked forward to this less than he would have hoped. Being a shinigami had been dangerous, yes, but it allowed him to be able to protect those close to him. Still, with this...abomination inside of him how could he fight to protect Inoue and Chad and Rukia and the others when he might at any moment become their greatest threat?

A crashing noise brought him out of his reverie. He and Urahara had approached the city, and the great barrier walls of Seireitei had been conjured into being. One of the massive gates that were the only feasible entry into the city stood directly in front of them. Urahara walked determinedly up to the gate and tapped on it with his cane as if he were knocking on someone's door.

A few seconds after doing this, the ponderous gate began to rise up slowly, seemingly without any aid. Under it, Ichigo could see people standing in the courtyard, but could not make them out with the gate still partially obscuring them. Urahara then ducked under the rising gate and into Seireitei, with Ichigo reluctantly following. When he stood up, he realized with a gasp who was standing before them.

All 10 remaining veteran captains of the Gotei 13 stood before them, flanked by three replacement captains, those now in charge of the divisions left by Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen. One of the new captains looked very familiar...

With a start Ichigo realized it was Abarai Renji, who had helped him save Rukia from Aizen's plot after having a change of heart during the Soul Society fiasco. _Well he certainly deserves to be a captain_ Ichigo thought, the man had shown himself to be a powerful combatant as well as willing to go against the rules in the end to save someone precious to him. For Ichigo, no character trait stood out as more worthy than the willingness to put oneself in danger for one's friends.

At the center of the line of captains, Yamamoto Genryuusai stood. Ichigo had never had much contact with him even after Aizen's defection, and was awestruck by the sheer presence of the ancient spirit. It was a tangible thing, overwhelming to the senses, and spoke of incredible power; beyond that of anything Ichigo had ever fought, Shinigami, Hollow, or otherwise. He was glad that he had never managed to cross zanpakutohs with Genryuusai during his rescue of Rukia!

Genryuusai stepped forward and took Urahara's hand, shaking it briskly. The other 12 captains bowed low to the ground, holding for several seconds. Ichigo was amazed by the level of respect Urahara was commanding, he must have been quite important 100 years ago!

"It is good to see you again, Urahara Kisuke. I am sorry that it took such necessity to bring you back to Soul Society, I would much rather a less solemn reunion," Genryuusai's voice spoke of great age and weariness, but also a conviction and strength unbreakable by the very flames of Hell itself.

"Oh I'm sure peace will break out eventually my old friend," Urahara said lightly, though his carefree tone bespoke of emotions concealed beneath the surface. "But for now we should be happy to live in interesting times."

Genryuusai only shook his head. "I have lived through more interesting times than you shall ever see Kisuke; peace isn't so bad. I can only hope the resolution to this conflict comes soon. As you can see I have already gathered the council of captains; the senior captains and I will meet you at the old Center 46 building to discuss our plans for the coming crisis. For now, welcome home." Genryuusai turned to the assembled captains and nodded. Most of them disappeared, flash-stepping away to other duties. Only Zaraki Kenpachi and Renji remained, Zaraki looking closely at Ichigo in a critical fashion for but a few seconds and then too disappearing.

As Genryuusai himself disappeared, Renji strode over to Ichigo with a smile on his face. "Ichigo, good to see you again! I'll never forget what you did for me and Rukia during your last visit to Soul Society," he extended his hand, and Ichigo took it somewhat diffidently. He could tell that Renji had already noticed something was wrong with him and was looking for answers.

"Renji...I don't know..." he began to say but was cut off by an intense stare from the new Captain. His own presence seemed to have strengthened since Ichigo had last seen the man; it was likely that the rigors of being a captain had forced him to increase his own power to keep up.

"I can see that you aren't in your Shinigami robes and I can't sense any reiatsu from you at all. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure you don't want to have to explain it more than once. Come on, I think I know someone who wants to see you," Renji began to walk off, his newly made Captain's robes billowing out behind him. Ichigo had mixed feelings about the reunion that was to come, but knew he shouldn't let his misgivings force him away from his friends. He followed Renji, as the Shinigami led him through a few of the maze-like corridors that made up much of Seireitei. They came to a door that had a 13 embossed over it. Renji walked in and Ichigo followed.

"It's been a while hasn't it Ichigo?" he heard a very familiar voice say as he walked in the door. Kuchiki Rukia stood there in the center of what was obviously her room in the Division 13 barracks. "I haven't seen you since the Arrancar attack on Karakura. Have you come to help us fight Aizen?" she walked over and gave him a quick hug then stood back and surveyed him critically. "That's strange...you're not wearing any Shinigami robes and..."

"Rukia...Renji," Ichigo cut in, feeling almost physical pain for having to tell them what he was about to say. "I...lost my Shinigami powers yesterday. I'm sorry, but I just came here because Urahara Kisuke wanted me to come; I can't do anything about the Arrancar anymore," Rukia stepped back again, unbelieving. Renji's mouth was open, having suspected something but not realizing quite the magnitude of the reality.

Rukia's eyes narrowed, "This isn't about the Hollow inside of you again is it? I already told you've got to fight it. I believe in you," she moved forward and gripped Ichigo's arms, looking into his face searchingly. He tried to turn away but was fixed by her stare, partly in shame, partly in sorrow.

"It...its not a normal Hollow," he started, trying to explain. "Urahara told me that 100 years ago there was an Arrancar that threatened to destroy all of Soul Society, and that he and Genryuusai, along with my mother and father managed to defeat him but could not destroy him. They were forced to trap the Arrancar in the soul of my mother, but when I was born it became a part of me instead. It...got free but Urahara managed to seal it back inside of me, except now that the seal is strengthened it takes all of my spirit energy to contain it fully, so I can never be a Shinigami again," he hung his head as the two Shinigami digested the story.

"You know," said Renji, "I remember 100 years ago that the captains received a message from an intelligent Hollow that said it was going to destroy Seireitei and kill all the Shinigami, but the captains told us a few days later that it had been taken care of. I didn't realize that it was so dangerous or that they had been keeping a secret like that for all this time..."

"This isn't the Ichigo I remember!" Rukia demanded hotly, shaking him. "Just because it's powerful doesn't mean it's undefeatable! If you fight it hard enough you could force your spirit power back out of it! What happens if the Arrancar attack Karakura again? Would you just leave Chad and Inoue to..."  
"**I can't!**" shouted Ichigo, tearing his hands away from Rukia's grasp and turning from her. "What if I tried to fight and the Arrancar broke free? Then I'd end up killing everyone I was trying to protect! I can't risk that...don't want to risk that..." he trailed off, and looked at Rukia and Renji. He saw pity on their faces, which was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. He turned again and fled out through the door into the maze of Seireitei. He heard them calling from behind him but just wanted to escape for now. He ran for quite a long time until he finally collapsed from exhaustion, sitting down in his current alleyway to catch his breath. As soon as he looked around he realized he was completely lost, as one tended to get in Seireitei. He saw a door right next to him and opened it, entering without noticing the number 11 embossed over it.

Inside a large number of lower-ranking Shinigami were sparring. A large number of them were lying on the floor bruised and moaning, while the others were all squaring off against a tall, bald-headed man wielding two wooden swords. The man turned his head as Ichigo entered the room and grinned as he saw him.

"Ichigo! Come and take a sword, these guys aren't worth the time I'm spending to practice on them," he tossed one of the wooden sword at Ichigo, who caught it clumsily, and beat the rest of the standing trainees into submission in a few seconds.

"Uh...Ikkaku...I don't think..." Ichigo began to say.

"Yeah I already heard about what happened to ya, but I don't expect losin' your Shinigami powers to be an excuse to ditch an honest sword-fight," Ikkaku cut in slyly, leveling the point of his weapon at Ichigo. "C'mon...I bet you've been wanting to let out some frustration for a while."

Ichigo certainly did feel that way. He leaped at Ikkaku, battering the bald Shinigami with a flurry of strikes, but he countered them all expertly. They circled each other, attacking and defending in turn for a while as Ichigo lost himself in the battle, forgetting for a moment about the hardships of the day. Ikkaku seemed to be satisfied with his skill, as he continued to bring out complicated sword techniques to press him into adapting mid-battle. He wasn't sure how long they fought for, but suddenly he was distracted as the door he had come through flew open. Ikkaku took the opportunity to disarm him, sending his wooden sword flying into the air towards the door.

Urahara danced out of the way of the missile, catching it as he sidestepped it. "I think this is yours Ichigo," he said as he came into the room, handing the weapon to him with an amused look. "I'm glad to see you found something to occupy your time with...but Genryuusai said he wants to see you alone at Center 46."

"Oh...uh...thanks," Ichigo mumbled as he glanced at Ikkaku, who nodded and bowed, signaling the end of their duel. He stepped out of the room, followed by Urahara.

"What does he want to see me for?" Ichigo asked as they walked along the angled alleyways.

"Heaven knows, but perhaps he wants to see if he can do something about your loss of powers," Urahara said brightly. Ichigo found it hard to take the man's ability to never lose optimism sometimes, but brushed it aside for the moment. "Genryuusai is quite a bit older than any other Shinigami here in Seireitei...there are some things he knows that not even I am aware of. Perhaps he will know the answer where I have failed, and I truly am sorry for failing you Ichigo," he shifted into serious mode briefly, giving Ichigo a pained look.

"S'not your fault," Ichigo mumbled, feeling slightly guilty for the way he'd been acting now. Still though, he knew that he couldn't risk a conflict with the Arrancar anymore, after he knew the nature of his inner demon, no matter what Rukia or anyone else said. If Genryuusai was planning to try and talk him out of it too, then he might as well not even bother.

They arrived at the forbidding entrance to the old Center 46 building, currently being used to hold important military meetings with the captains of the Gotei 13. Urahara bid him adieu as the door opened for them, and Ichigo stepped inside.

He was met with the view of a large, circular room that looked somewhat like a lecture hall. The seats slanted downward from the outside edge in concentric circles, and at the center were two large chairs. One of them was occupied, and before Ichigo even saw who it was, he could feel the incredible presence pressing down on him of the Captain of the 1st Division, Yamamoto Genryuusai. He steeled himself against the massive pressure of the man's reiatsu, which he knew Genryuusai was not doing on purpose, it was simply a by-product of his ancient power. He walked down a narrow flight of stairs to the center and stood by the other chair. Genryuusai nodded at him and he sat down. The old man's eyes were closed, but he seemed aware of all that was going on.

"Welcome to Seireitei again, Ichigo," he said slowly and seriously. "I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here to talk with me. As you might have guessed, it has something to do with the Unnamed One who currently is sealed within you. I can sense him within your body, a dark core of evil that wants nothing more than to escape and cause unimaginable devastation. I want to impress upon you the importance that he _never be given that chance._" he leaned closer to Ichigo, and his last words were spoken with such force that Ichigo could physically feel their pressure.

Ichigo opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a few seconds. He had been prepared for the 1st Division Captain to try to talk him into going through some weird process to get his power back to fight the Arrancar. He hadn't expected Genryuusai to be adamantly with Ichigo from the start. "I...was also feeling that way as well sir," he said somewhat unsurely.

Genryuusai looked at him penetratingly, then nodded as if he had confirmed something. He leaned back and said, "Let me tell you a story Ichigo...it is a secret that few Shinigami know other than myself and perhaps Urahara, Kyouraku, and Ukitake."

"A very long time ago, before man even began to build cities on the Material World, the balance between the 3 worlds was in jeopardy. No one existed to cleanse the spirits that stayed where they were not supposed to, and over time it built up into great imbalances. In places energy spilled over from one world to another; great rents in the fabric of space that passed through unimaginable horrors. To combat the imbalance, the first Shinigami was born. That first Shinigami was none other than myself, eight thousand years younger than I am today. I was imbued with the mission to bring other Shinigami into being and to combat the Hollow spirits that were causing imbalance. I rallied many to my banner, and the first generation of Shinigami came into being.

"Unfortunately, my second-in-command Oroinmaru wished to use the gifts the universe had bestowed upon us to advance his own interests. He sought forbidden ways to gain power, and I was forced to exile him. He took many Shinigami with him, those who were blinded by their own lust for power, and a war between Shinigami took place. "It was this terrible conflict that spawned the first Menos, for the experiments Oroinmaru and the other rogue Shinigami made upon themselves scarred theirs souls for eternity, and even in death were not cleansed to return to the cycle of reincarnation. The reason I appear far older than any other Shinigami here is because I am...the oldest still living other than I are Ukitake and Kyouraku, and they are merely 3 1/2 thousand years of age. The war between Shinigami completely wiped out the first generation except for myself."

"That's an incredible story, but why did I need to know this?" Ichigo asked, for it seemed that Genryuusai had come to a break in his tale.

"It allows me to tell you this," Genryuusai replied. "The Nameless One who resides within you is none other than the Vasto-Lord that resulted from the War of the Shinigami, and his mind is that of Oroinmaru's. You see...unlike other Menos, the Vasto-Lords only come into being under very specific circumstances. When a massive amount of death occurs in a short period of time in either Soul Society or the Material World, the filters that pass souls from one world to another become glutted. The cycle of reincarnation is brought to a halt in these times, and the universe has no choice but to eject the multitude of souls clogging the filters into the Hueco Mundo. The violence done upon the souls of the beings treated in such a way forces them to congeal into a single mass to continue existence. Such creatures have power beyond all other Hollows, and indeed are probably the most powerful beings in existence today, though there are few of them. The appalling death toll of the shinigami in the great war was easily enough to overcome this threshold, and thus a Vasto-Lord was formed that comprised the souls of all the first generation Shinigami with Oroinmaru as its driving personality. He remembers nothing specific of his past life—few Hollows do—but the scars remain, and the powers he accumulated through forbidden means spurred him to be the first among the Menos to become an Arrancar. It took even him thousand of years to do so, and his power now is far greater than Oroinmaru's had ever been. For that reason, those 100 years ago when he finally revealed himself, I was forced to use the ultimate technique that remains to us Shinigami when fighting something beyond our limits."

"Urahara told me about something like that...what did you do?" Ichigo asked.

"I invoked a seal upon my soul that allowed me to extend my ban-kai beyond the limits of my physical endurance. Thus, despite suffering grievous wounds in the battle with the Nameless Arrancar, my ban-kai remained and sustained me as well. However, such an action drained the very essence of my soul and weakened me permanently. I was lucky it did not kill me, but it allowed me the power to defeat Oroinmaru a second time. However, as I'm sure you might realize, I would not have the ability to fight him again. Therefore, were he to free himself and find his body once again, no being in the 3 worlds could stop him; that's why I ordered Urahara to accompany Isshin and Masaki to the spirit world despite his vehement protests." he stared at Ichigo intensely again. "I am telling you this because I want to impress upon you the importance of never letting the Arrancar sealed in your soul free.

Ichigo nodded grimly, amazed that the root of the problem extended so far back into the past. Civilized humanity had barely existed in any form 8,000 years ago! As he contemplated, Genryuusai stood from his chair, the grand robes of the supreme commander of the Gotei 13 swishing around as he turned.

"I respect the work you have done for Soul Society, and your conviction to save your friends. You will always have allies among the Shinigami, never forget that. For now, however, we have finished what preparations we can make at this time and it is time for you and Urahara to return to the Material World. I have also assigned Captain Renji and Captain Kira to accompany you for some time until we are more sure of Aizen's position. You may not see a return to your 'normal life' until the Apostate has been brought to justice." The old man began to walk up the stairs to the exit of the room, with Ichigo following behind.

They exited to the outside courtyard, and Ichigo started as he saw all the captains lined up again, with Renji and Kira standing directly in front of the great Reikai Gate that led back to the Material World. Urahara stood with them as well, smiling, but Ichigo could see a few lines of worry on his face. It was obvious Ichigo still didn't have his powers, and was probably going to stay that way.

Genryuusai spoke to the congregated Shinigami. "Kurosaki Ichigo has undertaken a great task for us, that of keeping the One With No Name, the Arrancar who threatens to destroy all of Soul Society. I expect you all to show your respects for him as he returns to the Material World. We face a perilous time ahead of us, but perhaps we can rest easier knowing that one threat at least is being kept at bay." He moved along the line of captains, looking at each one in turn and nodding. Ichigo moved behind Genryuusai, and each of the captains shook his hand gravely as he passed them. However, as he approached Zaraki Kenpachi, who did not proffer his hand as the others did, the look the 11th Division captain gave him froze Ichigo in place.

"You still haven't fought me again, Kurosaki," Kenpachi challenged him, a half-grin on his face. "Isn't it about time for it? I've been training to fight you ever since you left Soul Society back then," Kenpachi cracked his knuckles ominously. "How about it? You owe me a match."

Ichigo was taken aback, "I can't fight anymore, didn't you hear what happened? I've lost my power!" the way that Zaraki was looking at him ignited a small spark of indignation for presuming on his weakness.

Zaraki Kenpachi's look quickly changed from one of anticipation to one of disgust. "Crawl back to your pathetic life then, Kurosaki. I don't shake hands with cowards," he sneered and turned his back to Ichigo, beginning to walk away. The other captains stood speechless at the 11th division captain's display of sheer contempt.

The spark quickly flared up, "What do you want from me, bastard!" Ichigo yelled at Kenpachi's back. "It isn't my fault; I'm not a shinigami anymore!"

"That's just an excuse Kurosaki. You're just scared of fighting me and hiding behind excuses," Kenpachi said without turning around, still leaving.

"Scared of you!? That's a good one! If I could I'd kick your ass right here!"

"Then DO IT!" Kenpachi roared, spinning around to face Ichigo once again.

"I can't!" Ichigo shouted.

"No, you just won't!" Kenpachi shot back, his eyes glowing with anger.

"My power is gone and there's nothing I can do about it, god damnit!" Ichigo grated out, his eyes blazing with similar intensity.

Kenpachi shook his head contemptuously. "If you were truly strong, you wouldn't allow your power to be stripped from you so _easily_. Or perhaps your reasons for fighting are more pathetic than I believed."  
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY REASONS FOR FIGHTING ARE!" Ichigo thundered, advancing on Kenpachi.

"TRY ME!" Kenpachi responded with equal volume.

"The only reason I choose to wield power is to protect my friends, which I doubt someone like you would ever understand!" Ichigo spat, lowering his voice somewhat but not losing an ounce of the burning intensity he was feeling.

"And I suppose you're going to protect your friends by hiding in a corner and crying while they get slaughtered by your enemies? What a good plan!" Kenpachi growled.

"If I tried to fight, that would only allow the demon inside of me a chance to break free! I'm protecting my friends by NOT exposing myself," Ichigo shouted, a wild look growing in his eyes at Kenpachi's last comment.

"WEAK!" Kenpachi roared.

"What did you say?" Ichigo said in a dangerously quiet voice this time.

"Only pathetic vermin would be afraid to fight because of what might happen. If you were as strong as I had believed you were you would still fight with all your strength and use that strength to control the damned Arrancar you hold, but instead you allow your fears to turn you into a decrepit weakling who would hide behind us as we do your dirty work. Disgusting! I no longer wish to look upon you, Kurosaki," he turned again and began walking. A number of the other captains, enraged at Kenpachi's audacity, moved to intervene, but were suddenly brought short as they saw what was occurring.

Ichigo's face had gone completely red with rage. Clenching his fists so hard that he almost drew blood from his palms, sparks began to fly from Ichigo's body. With a fierce cry, he flung himself at Zaraki Kenpachi. In a massive implosion, reiatsu appeared out of nowhere and coalesced with a blue/black blaze to form the blade of Zangetsu in his hand as he brought it down instinctively upon Kenpachi's back.

Grinning evilly, Zaraki Kenpachi drew his own zanpakutoh and whirled around to meet Ichigo's attack. "That's more like it, Kurosaki!" he laughed with maniac glee as he prepared to counter Ichigo's rage-filled blow. An explosion of power blocked out their forms to the other stupefied captains, and when the light cleared from their visions they gasped at what they saw.

Genryuusai stood between the two combatants, his naked blade blocking Ichigo's downward swing, and his scabbard holding back Kenpachi's pitted blade. Kenpachi had a look of one thwarted in his amusement, while Ichigo was simply stunned beyond word or action.

"STAND DOWN!" Genryuusai's voice filled the area with the power of a mighty storm, pushing back Zaraki and Ichigo with its sheer authority and presence. Kenpachi sighed, and with a frustrated look sheathed his blade.

"Maybe next time Ichigo. I'll be looking forward to it," he said and walked off, ignoring Genryuusai's piercing glare.

Turning the glare to Ichigo, Genryuusai sheathed his blade as well. "I had believed that from the conversation we had that you understood the importance of what I had to tell you. I see that belief was misplaced, and for that I am disappointed in you, Ichigo. Please leave Soul Society and do not become involved in the coming war at any cost."

Numbly Ichigo lowered his blade and strapped it to his back, too surprised to say anything. He looked away from Genryuusai's smoldering gaze and saw the collected captains of Soul Society staring at him with something akin to amazement. He reddened again, this time in embarrassment, and began to walk towards the portal back to the human world.

Urahara quickly swept towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he steered Ichigo forward. "Yes I think it is time to get going Ichigo; I believe that we have gotten what we came here for," he smiled gently as they stepped through and began their journey back to normalcy. Feeling something prickle on the back of his neck, Ichigo turned around as he stepped through the gate, and saw Rukia peering from behind a building in the background. She grinned as she saw him, and gave him a thumbs up signal as the in-between world swallowed Ichigo and Urahara.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Reclamation**

The massive gate in Urahara's underground cavern rippled and tore open as two bodies were roughly ejected from it. They landed face-first in the sand and painfully brought themselves to their feet. Urahara laughed as he dusted himself off.

"My but that was enjoyable! I haven't been to Soul Society for over 100 years, and I even got to see some of the old faces," he glanced over at Ichigo, who had a distant look on his face. "I wouldn't worry too much over what just happened there Kurosaki. My old friend Genryuusai takes the weight of too many hardships upon himself, and it leaves him unaware of individual feelings sometimes. I think I am correct in saying that most of Soul Society—and certainly myself among them—are glad that your powers have returned. From what I can see they are as strong as I had hoped!" he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You have an amazing power for self-suggestion Kurosaki. You instinctively knew of the danger you held within yourself after I sealed him, and your subconscious convinced yourself that your powers had been consumed with the seal—the very opposite of what had happened—in order to preserve against that threat. If you turn that power towards controlling your strength in battle, I have no doubts that you will be able to protect your friends without fear of re-awakening the Nameless One."

Ichigo focused on Urahara's words. "Yeah, I remember while I was still sleeping, Zangetsu told me something about 'the will.' I didn't know what it meant, but that dumbass Kenpachi reminded me that the will to fight is what's been driving me forward so far. I lost it for a while, but now I know that it's the only way to protect them…Chad, Inoue, my sisters, even my father and everyone else I know here. If I have to, I'll go to Hueco Mundo and destroy Aizen myself!" his fist tightened as he spoke, and his eyes had regained the powerful idealism that Urahara recognized from the invasion of Soul Society. The enigmatic shop-keeper smiled broadly at Ichigo's revival.

"I'm glad to hear that, Kurosaki. For now, though, I believe you have some breathing room until you're required to take that sort of drastic action."

As they walked away towards the spiraling stairway up to the normal world, they heard two other bodies hit the sand, and looked back to see a grinning Abarai Renji and Kira Izuru pick themselves up and dust off, their brand new Captain's robes billowing proudly.

**

Aizen looked down from the pinnacle of the Montaňa Miedoso, watching the seething masses of his Hollow army swarm across the face of enormous crag that rose above the bleak surface of the world of the dead. He was smiling, a facial alteration that made him seem strangely warm and friendly amidst the maelstrom of controlled chaos that he kept in line like a puppet-master holding thousands of strings. Everything continued to go according to the Pattern that he had foreseen many years ago when he first dreamed up this solution to breaking the limits of existence. These Arrancar were but a step along that path; a mighty step to be sure, but they still lacked the ability to overcome everything. Aizen would see to it that those limits would be broken though, the Pattern was completing itself as he watched, weaving itself together from the countless threads that he guided.

"Aizen-sama?" a questioning voice came from behind him. He turned around from his vigil and saw who had spoken at the table. Ah yes, that is right; he had called them here for an important meeting. He would have to save his musings for the moment.

"Patience Ricardo," Aizen said in the calm voice that he always displayed, even in the harshest of circumstances. He now swept his gaze across the long table, meeting the eyes of each of the Espada in turn. These 10 Arrancar were his greatest creations yet, comparable in power to all his other forces combined and then some. He had no doubt that soon he would be capable of crushing Soul Society within his fist, and then his real work could begin. The Throne of the Universe stood waiting for him, and he would stand within its glory one day and finally complete the Pattern that he had begun weaving almost 100 years ago. "I was simply taking the time to align my thoughts to the purpose that I have called you here for today. This meeting is very important, as we will be taking steps to begin our invasion of Soul Society."

All of the Espada grinned evilly in anticipation of slaughtering the Shinigami, and some of them chuckled as they imagined what was in store. Only Ulquiorra remained emotionless, sitting as if he was part of the stone that his chair was made from. As the primer Espada, the others feared him not just for his power, but for the cold, analytical way that he approached every situation; willing to instantly kill anything that hindered him in his goals. Aizen viewed him as a perfect creation.

"First however, I will have your reports as to the defenses surrounding the Montaňa. Report on the first line, Ricardo," his gazed turned towards the Espada with a 7 on his chest: a tall, lanky Arrancar with shaggy hair and sharp, raptor-like eyes.

"The Montaňa is completely surrounded with sentries that can sense anything attempting to approach within 10 kilometers, no matter how small it is," Ricardo stood as he spoke, rising to a good 2 meters in height. "I have run drills and they were able to mobilize the second and third lines within 5 minutes after sensing an intruder."

"That is acceptable, but it would be preferable for it to be closer to 3 minutes," Aizen replied as he turned his gaze away from Ricardo. "And the second line then, Sashial?" he asked of the Espada with a 3; a female Arrancar with a small, shapely body. The reports continued for a few minutes, until suddenly everyone fell silent as they felt something above them. As one, the Espada and Aizen turned their eyes towards the rock ceiling that was the inside of the pinnacle of the Montaňa.

With the groaning roar of tearing stone, the peak of the mountain shattered and was blown away by a blinding tempest that darkened the now open sky above. As suddenly as it began the maelstrom started to subside, and a figure descended into the meeting room from the open ceiling. It was massive, bigger even than Yami, but completely shrouded in a white, billowing robe that obscured even its head. A massive blade was sheathed at the figure's hip; it looked like 2 long swords had been bent together into a helix pattern. The robed being touched down lightly upon the table, belying its 3.5 meter stature. Now standing upon the table, it simply stood there amidst the 10 most powerful Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, completely silent. The Espada sat there for a moment, almost bewildered at what had just occurred. It was impossible to tell if the thing was looking at them or just standing there, but it seemed to project an aura of impossible size and majesty.

After a moment, Aizen spoke with clenched teeth. "How did this…thing get past the defense lines?" his tone was of barely suppressed, monumental anger that snapped the Espada out of their reverie.

"I flew," replied the robed figure, now visibly orienting on Aizen in an unquantifiable fashion.

"T-that's impossible!" Ricardo stuttered, standing up confrontationally yet backing away at the same time. "The weather patterns over the Montaňa are specifically designed to make it impossible to fly higher than the sentries can detect!"

The thing was still focused on Aizen, but responded. "If you were to recognize me as you should, you would know that such a thing is no barrier to my power."

The Segundo Espada, a bipedal beast-like creature, suddenly gasped in astonishment and recognition and shot to his feet. "It is you! You are… 'His' general from 100 years ago, the Vortex Lord!" some of the other Espada now showed fear in their eyes, while others remained confused.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aizen's voice was calm again, which was even more frightening than before.

"I have come to deliver a message to you who dwell in the Montaňa Miedoso," the Vortex Lord said in an incredibly deep voice that was felt more than heard. "The time of the Master's awakening is drawing nigh, and soon he will rise greater than ever before. I have brought a command that is backed by his authority. Leave this place or bow before the Master when he returns. Your only other choice is complete annihilation. You do not have long to make your decision, so I suggest that you do it soon," he turned with a swish of his robes, but suddenly Yami leaped at him with his zanpakutoh clearing its sheath with a steely rasp.

"You think you're gonna tell us what to do, you robed freak? Let me show you the power of the Espada!" instantly the Vortex Lord had drawn his immense helix blade and blocked Yami's powerful slash. They stood at an impasse for a moment, the other Espada transfixed at the sudden confrontation.

"I see," the ultra-bass voice issued from the obscuring robes. "This is your answer then? I will leave you with a taste of the power of the Master," the aura surrounding him began to heighten, and suddenly Ulqiorra stood up, a hint of emotion cracking the diamond-hard façade of his expression.

"Yami get back you fool!" he shouted, but the Vortex Lord's grip tightened upon his blade and the tempest that had torn the top from the Montaňa sprang into being around him in a smaller, more controlled and intense fashion. The spirit energy concentrated into the winds was so thick one could actually see it as it spun around in a blazing vortex. Yami's eyes widened in shock as he simply dissolved within the storm, the Vortex Lord's spirit energy completely overwhelming his own and assimilating him. The other Espada leapt from their seats and struck defensive postures as the massive presence within the violent winds surveyed them. Ulqiorra calmly unsheathed his zanpakutoh and flickered out of sight.

The purple-black tempest suddenly distorted and trembled as Ulqiorra reappeared, having impacted the edge of the cyclone at massive speed. He pushed forward, the winds bending out of his way instead of reaching for him and consuming him. He reached the Vortex Lord and clashed blades with him.

"Impressive, false Arrancar," the robed intruder rumbled as he caught Ulqiorra's blade upon his and held it there. "You created a barrier from your own spirit energy to shield yourself from my zanpakutoh's release. You possess well-honed analytical skills; you should come with me and serve the Master."

"My only master is Aizen," Ulqiorra's voice betrayed no emotion, as there likely was none. "And you will die here despite your foolish bravado. You cannot overcome all of us."

As soon as the words left the primer Espada's mouth, he detected something intangible that caused him to disengage and leap back. It was not fear he felt, but simply the knowledge that for some reason it was the best course of action to take.

The storm around the Vortex Lord exploded outwards, knocking the Espada and Aizen to the ground. The enormous figure raised his helix blade to the sky and leaped out through the open ceiling, another vortex forming around him as he did so causing him to float in the air.

Aizen quickly recovered and shouted "Espada, to me! We will combine your power and shoot him out of the sky," the 9 remaining Arrancar quickly ringed around him, each placing their right hand upon Aizen's raised zanpakutoh. _I had hoped to save the knowledge of this technique for when I used it to destroy the barrier surrounding Seireitei, but I cannot let this creature survive after its audacity!_ The Espada concentrated all of their spirit energy into the blade, which began to hum with power. "This is the strength that will shatter the dominance of the shinigami into nothingness. Witness the power of the _Mil Imperio Cero!_" Aizen said calmly as he pointed the blade at the flying figure above them, who had turned to see what the source of the energy was.

A sphere as black as midnight and large as a car blasted out from Aizen's blade, trailing spiraling ribbons of dark power as it plowed through the space between the open peak and the Vortex Lord, who had sheathe his blade and now stopped movement in midair and held his arms forward. Bone-white hands over a foot across showed from the sleeves as he held them palms-up towards the incoming sphere of destruction. His aura suddenly became overpoweringly massive, staggering the Espada and causing the mountain to tremble, and space itself began to warp around him as perspective distorted wildly and glitches formed in the air. As the Mil Imperio Cero closed the distance, the distortion seemed to gather closer to him, and he called out in a voice that was heard across the entire mountain, "Cero Supremo!"

Nothing seemed to happen for a second, but then as the black sphere reached the Vortex Lord, it warped and shuddered and a perfect circular hole formed in it and passed the huge being without touching him. The distortion was now clearly visible as it traveled through the air towards Aizen and the Espada, who dived out of its way. One of the Espada wasn't fast enough and screamed in agony as his body bent and stretched in strange directions when the distortion passed through him and traveled down into the mountain, seemingly unstoppable. The affected Espada lay still, all life seemingly left from it, as the Vortex Lord let forth a deep, basso roar of laughter and fly off out of sight. Aizen stood speechless at what had just occurred, and the Espada looked bewildered at their seemingly invincible group having suddenly lost two members.

This was definitely not a part of the Pattern that he had anticipated, thought Aizen as thousands of calculations ran through his mind of how to remedy the suddenly untenable situation.

**

(chapter isn't over but this is all I have for now)


End file.
